The brake spider serves as a foundation for a brake assembly, designed to support the various elements of the brake assembly. In conventional axle assemblies, the brake spiders of the foregoing type have been produced from weldable steel alloys and formed by forging, stamping, casting or the like. Then, the spider is welded to the stationary axle spindle of a vehicle.
The example of the prior art axle end assembly that is typical for the type of brake found in heavy duty trucks and trailers, is illustrated on FIG. 1. The assembly includes an axle tube 1 and a brake spider 2 typically forged from weldable steel alloys. The brake spider 2 is secured to the axle tube 1 usually by welding. The welding joint between the axle tube 1 and the brake spider 2 is indicated generally by reference numeral 4. A spindle 3 is attached to the axle tube 1 also usually by welding. The welding joint between the axle tube 1 and the spindle is indicated generally by reference numeral 5.
Welding, however, is relatively expensive and labor intensive operation, Furthermore, the slightest deviation in the welding operation could cause misalignment between the brake spider and spindle bearing journals. Thus, the brake positioning accuracy could suffer, that degrades brake performance and wear characteristics.